Effluent and recycled water flow into the lower Santa Cruz River in Tucson.
The Santa Cruz Valley is becoming a national heritage site after about 20 years of advocating, and the group that represents it is now asking for public feedback on their plan.
Gene Kunde heads the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance and said the designation will help both with preservation and bringing tourists to the area. The alliance itself is made up of a number of municipalities and non-profits.
"They're working on many of these issues: conservation, protecting the heritage, educating people of various aspects of our history in this part of the world, on and on," Kunde said.
The plan lays out that work and how people use the heritage area.
"There's a big section about birding," Kunde said. "We’re one of the most important regions in the world for birding. A lot of people don't realize that."
You can find the plan on the Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance website, or at a handful of physical locations, including the Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center in Tucson.
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